Ladder 49

Joaquin Phoenix is fantastic. "You will follow his character on a journey. You experience his first thrills on the job: the conquest of danger, the adrenaline rush of heroism, and the satisfaction of knowing you're helping people and saving lives. You meet his friends, watch him fall in love, and become a father. In horror you watch as these same friends and comrades die or become severely maimed. Like the main character, you too now feel the burdon, the wrestling with hard choices, and the sacrifices that must be made. I was stunned by the non-Hollywood ending. Expect to be hit hard with a somber, emotional punch."(Those words could not describe it any better and are a quote from another reviewer). John Travolta played an extremely good role as the Captain of Engine 33. Jacinda Barrett was marvelous as the love of Joaquin's life as well as his wife. She looked and played the role with her full heart in it. You are definitely not watching "Backdraft". Ladder 49 shows reality at its best and worst. This was a good movie and worth watching so I gave it a 4.0 out of 5.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Butch

Let's talk about red ink

I read in CCN.com that there are states now trying to stop teachers using red ink to grade papers. This is suppose to be demeaning to students. Teachers should use a more subtle color like purple as an example.
Give me a break!!! Who is in control here? The student or the teacher?
I do believe that the American is getting a little too sensitive about simple things. In all actuality, a color is a color. Red ink has been used by the teacher for many years and probably longer than the complainers have been alive.
If the student doesn't like the red ink then that student needs to get over it!! And so should the parent. The red ink is not demeaning but instructive. It points out the errors made by the student or even makes a point of letting the student know what can be done to solve the error. They just needed something to whine about I guess.

And now you have my opinion for what little it counts.

Butch